Ramblings about what's happening on the farm, with our accommodation and the loveable alpacas

Digital Detox

Those are 2 words that strike fear and hope in my heart. Fear of being without my iPhone and iPad (not to mention laptop for an length of time (and by that I mean over 2 hours) and hope, that I can rid the overwhelm that my daily digital digesting affords me.

There has been a lot of coverage in the news recently about our increasing appliance reliance especially when travelling. The Daily Mail reported that for most people, it has become a travel essential, and that a ‘digital detox’ revolution is taking place -a chance to embrace the holiday free from modern technology and reminders of homelife.

They state that half of Brits admit to checking work e-mails while on holiday, while a third regret spending so much time on them. As a result rural getaways are becoming more popular in ‘digital detox’ revolution, many with no signal and no Wi-Fi, offering a chance to leave smartphones and tablets firmly switched off and enjoy the sights and scenery.

Frances Booth, writing for Forbes Magazine says ‘Day to day in the digital world, we face near constant demands for our attention. And if we don’t let ourselves recharge and reboot, this can mean we quickly burn out or become inefficient’.

Booth recommends that by doing a digital detox, we give ourselves chance to step back temporarily. When we return, recharged, we’re more productive and have a different perspective. We’re also likely to have at least one great idea while we’re ‘not thinking about it’.

She also suggests that it ‘gives us chance to get back intune with our own rhythms and the rhythms of nature, rather than trying to keep up with the pace of the digital world. It lets us dictate how we spend our own time, rather than spending all our time answering other people’s demands’.

Telford Teacher, Martin Scott, head ofthe Old Hall School in Wellington, planned a digital detox week to try to wean youngsters off their favourite electronic devices.

He is trying to encourage them to find alternatives to technology – such as talking to each other or playing cards. Scott says “When we take school trips or holidays, we don’t allow mobile phones,” he said.“We’re hoping to challenge children to live without their mobile devices for a week.

The Huffington Post challenged readers to get off their phones for Valentines Day “Valentine’s Day is all about being with your partner, showing them you care,” says relationship expert Susan Quilliam. “One of the key ways you can do this is to give them your full attention. And, while phones are wonderful 364 days a year, they’re also a distraction, bringing in the outside world and taking thatfull attention away from the relationship.

Here are our suggestions for a digital detox:

· Switch off all mobiles, smartphones,tablets, laptops, and computers for a certain length of time.
· Spend your screen-free time doing whatever you enjoy. A digital detox is also a chance to recharge and rest.
· A digital detox should ideally be around 24 hours long as a minimum. It can be 72 hours or more if you want to build up to that.
· If you are going off grid, leave your devices in the car, that way you will have them for emergency phone calls but won’t be tempted to check them all of the time. Or Use that really old Nokia that is lurking at the bottom of the drawer, you know the one, has a phone, basic text and the Snake game, and is perfect as an emergency camping phone as it has a battery life of over a week.
· Take a camera! One of the biggest reasons for people taking their digital devices is that they need it for their camera. You can buy standalone cameras that don’t have a phone on them! Even better, try out some old style film cameras for a bit of fun (remember that feeling of getting your prints back from Boots after your hols?!)